Careless Whispers
by LeeneyBean
Summary: Growing up is hard, and they will both come to discover it. Rachel and Puck both learn a bit of what it means to be adults. Set in a sort of AU after sectionals. There will be some adult content, please go forth with care.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't even own my car, let alone these wonderful characters. I do however own the ideas and characterizations herein. Please respect that.**

**A/N: Set after "Sectionals", with the exception that Finn never found out about Puck being the baby's father. That's all that's changed, they still won, and there shouldn't be any spoilers past "Sectionals". The story will switch back and forth between Rachel's and Pucks POV, but it should be obvious which one is telling the story at any given moment.**

**All reviews (good, bad, ugly) are appreciated.**

"Well this is just wonderful." Rachel said to herself. Her bed was covered in an array of blouses, and skirts, all having been tried on and tossed aside. Rachel simply stood at her closet, tapping her foot impatiently, trying desperately to find something perfect to wear for the party tonight. She had to look perfect. More perfect than usual, anyway. She had a personal invitation, and Santana had said that Finn would be there. Oh, there went the butterflies again.

"Calm yourself, Rachel." She whispered, "This is nothing more than any other social outing. You are prepared for this. And besides, anything you wear, you'll stun them all." Sighing, she picked out a gray Burberry sweatshirt and a black skirt that fell right above her knees. It wasn't perfect, but it would do.

The house was already full when Rachel arrived, but she took that as a good omen. She had thought that maybe she was being set up, but a full house meant that there was an actual party. She brushed off her skirt before getting out of her car, and made sure her hair was still falling in gentle curls in her visor mirror. Walking up to the door, she spotted Santana and Brittney on the front porch. Brittney looked surprised at first to see her, but her face quickly turned into a grin as Rachel approached. Santana came towards Rachel, a cup in her hand.

"Hey, I was beginning to think you weren't going to show up!" Santana yelled, "What took you so long?"

"I was getting ready." Rachel muttered. Brittney smiled and Santana laughed.

"This isn't a dinner party. Nobody here cares what you look like." Brittney said. They threw their arms around Rachel. "Come on; let's get you something to drink!" Santana said.

They led Rachel into the kitchen, where some of the football team was standing around a big, silver, metallic barrel. Rachel wondered to herself what it could be, but Santana quickly drug her over to the island in the center.

"Pick your poison." Rachel looked around at the bottles placed around the room.

"Um, well, could I just have a glass of orange juice? With Regionals coming up, I wouldn't want to harm my voice with a soda."

"You just want… orange juice?" Santana raised an eyebrow.

"Yes please." Santana rolled her eyes.

"Alright. Suit yourself." Brittney grabbed a hold of her arm then, and started pulling her away from the kitchen.

"Come on. There's some, uh, stuff going on in the basement. Let's go see what it is."

"But my…"

"She'll bring it down. Come on, let's go have some fun!" Rachel was unsure, but allowed Brittney to pull her down the stairs. The basement was full of boys in letter jackets, and girls in Cheerios uniforms. In fact, Rachel didn't see anyone who wasn't in the McKinley school colors. Nor did she see anyone she specifically recognized. This made her feel uncomfortable, and a tad bit overdressed.

Brittney sat her down on a sofa where some boys were playing a video game with guitars. Then she started to walk away.

"Wait!" Rachel started to get up, but Brittney pushed her back down.

"Stay put. Santana will be down soon. I just want to, um, to see if, um, you know. See who's here. Stay put." Then she ran off. Rachel stared off after her, and then looked around the room. She wished that she had something to do with her hands, or something to sing at least, to calm her nerves. She started to tug at her skirt but that got boring quickly. She began to watch the game being played. It looked interesting, even if the boys were far from extraordinary at playing, and she thought that perhaps she could be successful at the game. She opened her mouth to ask, and then shut it again. She only had one outfit with her tonight, and she didn't want to draw unnecessary attention to herself and chance that someone might be drinking a slushie. After the boys had played five songs on the game, Rachel got up to find Santana, but she came down the stairs then with a red cup in her hand.

"Sorry, got caught up. Where'd Brittney go?" She handed the cup to Rachel.

"She said she was going to see who was here." Rachel put her cup up to her lips. The smell knocked her back. "What is this?"

"Orange juice. Drink up. I had to go to the gas station to get it especially for you, and I'm not too happy about it."

"It smells funny." Santana rolled her eyes again.

"Yeah, it's that new brand. They use, um, a new hybrid of oranges. It smells weird, and tastes kind of funny, but it's so good for you! Sue makes us drink it all the time, cause, um, it makes you have all this energy, and stuff." Rachel wrinkled her nose. "Just friggin drink the juice, Rachel." She nodded, and took a deep breath.

"Is it easier to drink if you plug your nose?" Santana's eyes widened and she nodded enthusiastically.

"Oh absolutely! I should have told you that!" Rachel smiled, plugged her nose, and took a drink. It tasted horrible, and it burnt her throat, but she got it down. Santana was grinning ear to ear, so Rachel smiled back and took a bigger drink this time, still making sure to plug her nose. It wasn't as bad the second time. Brittney and a couple other people had gathered around her, and they all were smiling and laughing.

"Do I look funny plugging my nose when I drink?" She asked. Santana nodded again.

"Yeah. I haven't met many people who can do that. It's pretty funny. You should drink all of it that way! You should totally chug it!" Rachel looked down at the floor, unsure.

"I don't know, I think I'll just sip on it for a little while. Maybe I'll get used to the taste."

"Aww, come on. It'll be fun. Look, I'll drink all of mine with you. We'll have a race. Okay?" Rachel smiled then, and nodded.

"Alright." She replied. A few more people had gathered around them, and Santana met all of their eyes before counting down.

"You ready?" She asked. Rachel nodded. "One, two, three!" Rachel closed her eyes, plugged her nose and started chugging down her drink, trying to get it down as quickly as possible without choking on it. She finished it, and looked over at Santana for approval. Santana was laughing loudly.

"I declare a rematch!" she yelled. "Rachel cheated!"

"I did not!" Rachel yelled back. Everyone laughed.

"Well, I want a rematch anyway! I'll be right back with drinks." Rachel looked around at the people who had been watching. They all seemed to be in good spirits, and nobody was really paying attention to her. She wandered over to the game again, and watched. The two boys playing now were much better, and the dots came much faster. She was enthralled watching them play, and almost didn't hear Santana yelling her name.

"Rachel!"

"Hmmm?" She turned to face her.

"Come on. We've got a captive audience for our rematch!" Rachel laughed, and walked with Santana back to the edge of the room, where lots and lots of people were standing around with expectant looks on their faces. Brittney handed another cup to Rachel, and then one to Santana.

"I expect a clean match." Brittney said. Everyone laughed. "Ready?" Both girls nodded. "Go!" Once again, Rachel plugged her nose and started drinking. It was easier this time, almost like her throat was numb, and Rachel easily got the entire drink down. When she opened her eyes, the room started to spin a little bit, but soon settled back into place. Everyone was laughing, including Santana.

"Did I lose?" Rachel asked. Santana laughed again.

"Nope. You won fair and square." Rachel beamed. She's always liked winning. She slammed the cup down on an end table near her and raised her hands in victory. The crowd hollered for her, and many of them raised their glasses. Rachel felt like she might have actually found a few friends. Then the room started spinning again. Her smile faded, and she tilted her head sideways.

"Let's dance!" Santana said. Rachel nodded, but couldn't quite figure out why she was so dizzy. She hadn't even noticed there was music playing, and that was usually the first thing she noticed. Santana dragged her back upstairs, literally, since she tripped over three or four steps going up. They went into what would be a family room, and sure enough, there was a sound system playing a thumping rhythm. It wouldn't have been Rachel's first choice, but she started to dance anyway, using the choreography Mr. Shue had taught them just that day.

"Not like that! Ugh!" Santana shouted over the music. "Move your hips back and forth. Yeah. And do hip circles every now and then. Good." Rachel didn't think that this was really dancing, but everyone else seemed to be doing it. And so she did it too. She noticed the room was still spinning, and it was starting to make her a little nauseas, but every time she tried to tell Santana, the Cheerio just shook her head, and said she couldn't hear Rachel.

"I think I'm… I'm going to…" Santana shook her head.

"You're fine. Just close your eyes and dance."

"I need some cold air." Santana grinned ear to ear.

"Get up on that table near the fan. There should be plenty of air up there." Rachel laughed, and with Santana's help, crawled up on the table. "Dance!" Santana said. There were boys around the table. They were yelling for her. She laughed and started dancing like Santana taught her to. They yelled louder.

"Take off your shirt!" One yelled. She was beginning to get overheated, so she did. All the boys started whooping and chanting her name. She liked this. This was fun. She continued to dance, and a couple boys start handing her money. She wondered why, but soon the boys started trying to grab for her legs. She did not like that. She tried to move away, but they are all around the table. Santana pushed her back towards the center. Rachel wanted to get down. She was scared and felt very nauseas and she wanted to get down. The room spun faster, so she closed her eyes, and hoped it would go away. She lost her balance, and fell into a strong set of arms. The boys all groaned and Rachel felt something get thrown on top of her.

"Put your shirt back on." A gruff voice told her.

"But I'm hot." She replied. She was shocked at how slurred her words are.

"That's not the point, Berry. Put your clothes on." Rachel opened her eyes to find herself in Noah Puckerman's arms. She started to wiggle to get down, but he just tightened his grip.

"Put me down!" She demanded. "I want to go back to my friends!"

"Friends, huh?" They were outside now, and he set her down on the grass. "How're you feeling?"

"I'm fine. Just a little dizzy, that's all."

"Uh huh. How bout you lay down for a minute, see if that helps." Rachel started to protest, but he leant over her, pushed her back into the grass, and she immediately felt better.

"The stars are so pretty." She said, looking up at his standing form. "You're so pretty."

"Right. I need to go back in for a second. Don't move." She nodded. "Promise?"

"I promise. I like the stars. I'm going to be one someday." He chuckled and she watched him go back inside.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except my own ideas.**

He had shown up to Santana's house what other, less cool people would call fashionably late. He simply called it "Puck time". His buddies were standing around the back door, and one offered him a beer from the cooler.

"Nah. Not yet." He never got drunk when he knew there was a chance he would get laid, and being at Santana's meant he could definitely get some action tonight. But first he had to find her. He wandered through the house, and finally cornered her at the island in her kitchen, with a bottle of vodka in her hands. She grinned when she saw him.

"Screwdriver?" she asked. He chuckled and wrapped one arm around her, reaching under her skirt with the other.

"I'd say yes to the first syllable." He whispered in her ear. Santana moaned, but pulled away and turned to face him.

"Not right now." He raised his eyebrow. "I'm on a mission. It should be amazing once it's complete."

"A mission?" She nodded, her eyes looking devious.

"Come to the basement if you wanna see." She ducked under his arm with one full and one empty cup.

"One of those cups is empty." He yelled. She turned around and winked.

"I know. Come find out why."

He considered following her, purely out of curiosity, but a blonde chick walked by him then and gave a 'come hither' look. So he went after Blonde, and into the front room. The bass was thumping loudly, and he could tell that at least one of the speakers was blown. It was rattling badly, and starting to get on his nerves a bit, but Blonde grabbed his belt loops, and he forgot right then what he was thinking about. She tried to grind on him, but soon he'd grown bored of being teased by Blonde. So he smacked her on the ass and walked away, over towards a group of guys standing around a table with a shirtless hot chick dancing on it. This was a Puck kind of event.

Hot Chick was obviously drunk, since she couldn't keep a rhythm to save her life. The guys were getting their wallets out, throwing ones at her. Sweet, Santana had hired a stripper. Puck started to get his wallet, but he noticed Santana taking pictures. And then Hot Chick turned around. Hot Chick was Rachel Berry. She was walking towards Santana, looking green, but Santana pushed her back onto the table.

Suddenly Puck understood Santana's mission. Rachel Berry was trashed. Santana was loving it. He wasn't.

"Nice." He whispered in Santana's ear. "You spiked her drink." Santana chuckled.

"I thought it would be fun. She needs to get off her high horse. And look. Now she's high up on a table. No horse in sight." He snorted angrily and tried to push through the masses of guys trying to grab for her. He grabbed her shirt off the table and reached for her hand to get her down, but she lost her drunken balance and started to topple over. He shoved one of the linebackers out of the way, and caught her before she hit the ground.

"Come on man!" one idiot said. "Put her back." Puck got up in his face and he backed up.

"Thought so." Puck said. The guys started to crowd in around him, to prevent him removing her from the party. "Move." He said simply, his voice steady and icy. A couple guys went to confront him, but backed off quickly when they saw his face, the face that dared someone to cross him. The team knew that face, and quickly the crowd dissipated, groaning and mumbling about Puck always getting the girl.

He walked out of the family room and towards the back door, hoping to get her outside before she blew chunks. She was dead weight so he tossed her shirt over her so he was able to grip her better. Her eyelids fluttered.

"Put your shirt on." Since she seemed to be alive, he figured she could do that much.

"But I'm hot." She slurred back, her eyes shutting again. He chuckled and shifted her higher, looking down at her bare torso and long legs hanging from his arms.

"That's not the point, Berry. Put your clothes on." Her eyes popped open and a disgusted look came over her face. Puck was afraid he wouldn't make it outside in time when she started to squirm, so he tucked her closer trying to get her outside that much quicker.

"Put me down! I want to go back to my friends!" She yelled. Ah yes. Drunk chicks. Puck remembered why he hated them. They were so damn bossy. He got her through the door and set her down like she'd asked.

"Your friends huh?" She turned her head up towards him, and he could tell she was trying to focus on him. Her head was wobbling and she looked ridiculous. After a moment, he asked, lamely, "How're you feeling?"

She turned her head to look forward. "I'm fine. Just a little dizzy is all." Her upper body was now moving, and he could tell she wasn't going to be able to sit up much longer.

"Uh huh. How bout you lay down for a minute, see if that helps." She looked back up to him, and he wasn't sure if she could understand him. So he bent over and pushed her gently backwards. She toppled back ridiculously, and it took everything he had not to laugh at her.

"The stars are so pretty." She mumbled drunkenly. Then she turned her head to look at him. "You're so pretty." He couldn't resist laughing at that, but she didn't seem to hear, she just kept staring up at him.

"Right. I uh, I need to go back in for a second. Don't move." She just stared up at him. "Promise?" God, if any of the guys saw him doing this, he would never live it down. He was glad they were all still entertained inside, or his reputation would be toast.

"I promise." She whispered. His heart jumped in his chest at her tiny voice, and how vulnerable she was right now. "I like the stars," she continued, "I'm going to be one someday." He shook his head and chuckled as he headed back towards the house.

Santana was pressed against the wall in her basement when Puck found her, and he quickly shoved the guy holding her there aside.

"What the hell, Puck?" She yelled. He grabbed her arms at the shoulder, not tight enough to hurt her, but enough to get her attention. He lowered his voice to a deadly tone.

"If I see, or hear anything about those pictures you took, I swear to God I will make sure that you regret it."

"You're all talk." She spat back.

"Try me and find out." She faltered a moment, and then hung her head.

"Whatever. I'll trash the photos." She said, and then looked him in the eye. "But everybody who's here tonight, and everyone who isn't has probably already heard about it. Nothing you do will change that." He shoved her back towards the wall and started back up the stairs.

"You're leaving?" She shouted after him, cackling. "But the party's just getting started."

Puck walked back outside and found Rachel right where he left her, laying on the ground. She turned her head towards him.

"I want to go home now." She whispered. He reached his hand down towards her. She took it, and pulled herself up to a sitting position, then up to standing.

"Can you walk?" He asked. She started to wobble and fall, but Puck reached out and caught her around the waist. "Guess not." He scooped her up and she squealed like a little girl. He hoped to everything that no one saw him carrying this girl, because that would start rumors of a whole different kind for her, and he was sure she would have enough to deal with already come Monday. He had Puck luck on his side tonight, though, and he got her to his truck without an incident. He even managed to get her in and her seat belt on before she said anything.

"What's going on?" She muttered.

"I'm taking you home, Berry. You're stupid drunk."

She laughed. "I can't be drunk. All I've had all night is orange juice. You can't get drunk off of…" her laughter gets the best of her for a moment. "Off of… orange juice." More laughter from her. "You should know that, Mr. Puckerman." He tries to laugh along with her, but she starts again. "I've never even touched alcohol! In my whole life! Except, this one time, at a function with my dad's, I snuck a taste of this wine. Ugh, it was horrendous! I would never touch alcohol. It is so vile."

"Only you would use big words when you're drunk." She started to unbuckle her seatbelt, but he stilled her hand. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm driving myself home. I drove myself here." He reached across her and pushed the buckle back in until it clicked.

"Humor me tonight, Berry. Let me be a…" God help him for saying this, "…a gentleman and drive you home." She stared at him for a moment, her eyes rolled back up in her head, and she nodded

"But only because I'm so dizzy." She leaned her head against the head rest, and closed her eyes again. Puck hopped in the cab and looked at her for a moment.

"Are your dad's home tonight?" She murmured something. "What?"

"I said no! They're in New York for the week. They'll be back on Wednesday." Great. He couldn't leave her alone in the state she was in. So he got to babysit the drunken soprano while his friends were having fun. Puck luck wasn't on his side after all. He started the ignition, figuring at least he could play video games while she slept this off. And then he could take her back to her car in the morning.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I own not a character in the following story, only my own humble ideas.**

**A/N: Here's where it starts to get dirty. I'm not an expert writer of these sorts of things, if you think it falls flat, please let me know.**

Puck pulled Rachel out of the truck, and roughly slung her over his shoulder. She had been asleep since he turned off of Santana's street, and he was pretty pissed that he had gotten stuck with this duty. He considered just leaving her at his house, but he didn't want her to wake up somewhere she didn't know alone. He figured that would scar her for life. Plus, that party was pretty lame as Santana parties go. Usually everyone was only semi-clothed by the time he got there. So he hauled her into the house and up the stairs to his bedroom. She had never replaced her shirt, so he just pulled her shoes off and laid her down on the bed. He thought she might be waking up, because she started moaning in her sleep, but she simply rolled onto her side and curled up. He threw a comforter over her, and started to walk out, already thinking of how to beat the next boss in the game.

"Noah?" came a soft feminine voice from over his shoulder. Damn it.

"Yeah?" He turned around in the doorway to face her.

"Where am I?" She looked around the room, clearly trying to make some connection.

"My house." He replied simply.

"Why did you bring me here? To your house?" She sits up in his bed, looking worried, moonlight shining on her hair. He takes a couple steps towards her.

"I just…" Come on, Puck, think of a good reason… "I didn't want you to be alone. In case you got sick or something. That's all." She looked down to her lap, then back up to him.

"I don't want to be alone." He furrowed his brow, but she motioned for him to come towards her. He came a couple steps closer. "Will you stay here with me? Until I fall back to sleep?" He looked at her for a moment and how the comforter has fallen down, revealing her torso.

Babysitting had just gotten a whole lot better.

"Sure, Berry. Whatever you want." He walked around to the other side of the bed and lay down. She wiggled herself back to laying down and then snuggled up against him. He wrapped an arm around her. He could tell that she was thinking hard about something.

"Penny for your thoughts." Puck almost smacked himself in the head for that cheesy line.

"I just… well…" Rachel planted a light kiss on his chest where her head was resting. Then she planted another, a little higher. Then one on his shoulder. Then on his neck. Then her kisses got a little deeper on his neck. Then she started sucking at his neck. Puck was lost in the feel of her lips for a moment, until she grabbed his face and started in on his ear. He closed his eyes, just letting her little mouth suck on his earlobe, and feeling her body pushed up against his. He was more than a little surprised when she crawled on top of him, but he just wrapped his arms around her and ran his fingers up and down her spine. She caught his lips then and her hand started to slide lower on his body

"What are you doing Berry?" He grunted.

Her hand stopped just above his jeans. So close he almost couldn't stand it.

"Do you not want me to?" She asked. He opened his eyes to look at her. She looked ready to cry.

"I don't want you to do something you'll regret when you sober up." God help him for the 'good guy' thing he magically picked up today.

"I'm not drunk. I'm perfectly fine." Her face was set, but she wobbled just a bit as she said it.

"Fine, whatever, you're not drunk. You sure this is what you want to do?" She ground down on him once. "Berry, I'm serious. Think about this before you act." She ground down on him again. Puck restrained himself from flipping her over right then. But he needed to hear her say yes more than he needed to hear her scream his name. He needed her agreement. "Berry." He said, his voice as steady as he could make it.

"Yes, Noah. This is what I want to do." That's all it took.

He grabbed her arms and flipped them both over in one move, and started to grind into her. She giggled at first, but quickly started to make more appropriate noises. He reached behind her back and unhooked her bra, then quickly disposed of it on the floor. He kissed a trail down her neck and towards her breasts, making her arch her back and moan as he reached them. He grabbed one in his hands and started kneading and teasing it, while biting the underside of the other. She gasped and wiggled underneath him, and he had to concentrate hard not to lose it right then. He worked his mouth down her toned stomach to the edge of her skirt, which he unzipped and tossed on the floor as well. He reached down between her legs and ran his fingers along the outside of her panties, and she moaned loudly. She started to reach down to unbutton his jeans, but he pulled away from her. He needed a condom before this went any further.

"Where are you going?" She whined. Oh, but he wanted to go back to her. No. No. He needed a condom. Now.

"I'll be right back." He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Right back." He remembered that his bedroom stash had been emptied out the other day, and ran down the hall to raid the bathroom stash. Instead he found a note from his sister that she would tell mom about his condom drawers if he didn't… whatever. He ran downstairs into her room, opened her nightstand and took the condoms back. He'd deal with her later; right now he had a soprano's V-card to take. Taking the steps two at a time, he got back to his bedroom to find her asleep.

He stood in the doorway, so hard he thought he might explode, and she was asleep.

He considered waking her up, but she lightly snored just then, and that thought gave way to other ones. 'How in the fuck did she get to sleep that quickly?' he thought. 'Was she not awake when she agreed?' That was a scary thought. Puck did many things that could be constituted as "bad", but taking someone's virginity while they were asleep was territory even he wouldn't go near. 'Well, if she was asleep when she agreed, then I'm glad this didn't get any farther.' His member in his jeans had other thoughts. He shook his head and sighed. Babysitting drunk Berry blew hard.

He started to go back downstairs to play the video game, but decided against it. She might wake up again in a few minutes anyway, and they could continue where they left off. So he crawled in the bed beside her and lay down. Another soft snore from the brunette next to him. This was going to be a long night.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I own not a scrap of these lovely characters. **

**A/N: So exciting to see all the readers and people following this story! Makes me so happy! This chapter is a tad bit dirty. Fair warning.**

Puck noticed the tickling on his skin before he noticed anything else. He observed that he was without a shirt, since the tickling thing was able to just randomly trace a pattern up and down his chest, swirling around his abs and his pecs. It felt so good that he didn't want to open his eyes to find out what was causing it. Slowly, it slid down his chest and beneath his jeans. Ah. It didn't just tickle. It grasped as well. He opened his eyes to a well lit room, lying on a bed draped with a see-through fabric all around. And a canopy. This was definitely not his room. But the thing was squeezing him again, and he could only pay attention to that.

"Mmmm…" he moaned, lost in the thrill of whatever was making him feel like this.

"Do you like that baby?" Came a soft voice beside him. He turned his head and found Rachel Berry lying next to him, clothed only in the see through fabric that covered the bed.

"Berry, what's…?" She put a finger over his lips.

"Shh… don't worry. I know what I'm doing. Just trust me." She started to kiss down from his neck towards her arm. Oh, her arm was sticking out of his jeans. That meant the thing grasping him was… Oh God. She continued down, kissing all along the line of his jeans, and then undoing the button and zipper with her teeth. She tugged them down and sucked and bit gently right on the hip bone. He moaned again. She moved ever so slowly to his member and licked all around the head before taking just the tip into her mouth.

"Berry… God, you… ugh…mmmm…" Puck wanted to pull her up, to kiss her and ask her what brought this on, but every time he reached down she pushed his hands away. She started a slow rhythm, taking him deeper each time, and it was all Puck could do to keep himself from blowing. He finally managed to grab her hair and pulled her head up to look at him.

"Ooh, baby, I like that." She said before moving back down to keep sucking him off.

When he managed to get his thoughts back together, he had decided that two could play that game. He slid down in the frilly bed (it must be hers, it looked so girly) until he was face to face with her. Then he grabbed her under her arms and tossed her gently up towards the pillows. There was that sexy, girly giggle she had again.

"What did I do?" She asked innocently. He rolled his eyes.

"It doesn't matter. You're going to get your fill for doing it." He rolled on top of her and positioned himself right at her opening. She mewled. He asked, "Do you want this?"

"The question is, do you?" She replied. He pulled back from her a little.

"What?"

"Are you that kind of a man, Noah? That sleeps with every girl who comes along and throws herself at him?"

"Duh." He retorts.

"Then fuck me, Noah. I'm right here, wet and waiting for you. All you have to do is thrust." Puck pulled back a little more.

"Berry this isn't like you. Cursing and being… well, sexy. What's going on?" She smirked.

"Isn't this what you wanted from me? It's yours to take. Just dive into me. I won't tell." Puck was confused.

"Do… do you not want me to? Cause it takes two people to do this."

"You do what you want. Isn't that what you always do?" He looked around the room, and finally decided to go for it. She'd said yes, or at least he thought she had. He entered her and almost blew inside her, she was so completely tight. He pumped a few more times and looked up to her face. She was reading a magazine.

"Berry, what the…?" She peeked up over the top of the magazine.

"Oh, are you in? Huh… I couldn't even tell." Puck stopped pumping, starting to get angry. This was ridiculous.

"You couldn't tell?" He began pumping again, harder this time, trying to get a response out of her.

"Oh, that's sweet. Look how hard you're trying. You're so cute when you try." Puck pulled out of her completely this time.

"Cut the shit, Berry. What are you trying to do to me?"

"Just lose my virginity." That shut him up. She looked him square in the eye before continuing.

"You know, I always kind of knew my first time would be special, with the gauze and the huge bed and all. And yet, here I am, surrounded just like I thought I'd be, and it's… it's nothing. I guess it just depends on who your partner is." Puck suddenly found his hands very interesting.

"But I'm glad it was you. You have so much more experience than anyone else I know. I guess I figured you would know more about what you were doing. If someone as knowledgeable as you is so bad, I can understand why girls fake orgasms. Sex sucks."

Puck's eyes popped wide open and he sat straight up in bed. His bed. No frills. No light. Thank God. He laid back down, trying to calm himself down from whatever-the-hell-that-was. A dream. Just a dream. He's a sex god. He's a sex god. He had some morning wood. How the hell did that dream turn him on? Oh yeah, it had been sexy in the beginning, when Berry was…

Rachel Berry was still in his bed.

Puck about fell off the bed, he was scrambling so hard to get out of it. She was there, the demon bitch that had insulted his prowess. Except she wasn't awake, and she wasn't draped in gauze. And she wasn't taunting him. She was just breathing evenly, her arms curled around a pillow, nude but for her white lace panties. Lil' Puck gave a quiver at that sight, but his brain was having none of it. He went downstairs, hoping no one would be home so he could have some space to think.

He opened the fridge, desperately searching for that pizza he had brought home last night from the parlor. Hey, two slices from a whole pizza he paid for are two slices he's going to keep. He found them buried in the back and quickly scarfed them down, chasing them with a soda. The food calmed him down, at least enough that he thought he could go back to bed. He quietly climbed the stairs, and stripped out of his clothes, tossing them on the floor to get washed. In only his boxers, he laid back down on the very edge of the bed, as far away from her as he could get himself and tried to relax back to sleep. He had almost passed back out when she rolled over and draped her arm and leg over him, her body pressed against his.

Oh no. No no no. Not tonight. He started to push her off so she would roll back over, when he felt her shaking. Then he heard the sniffles. She was crying, in his bed, curled up against him. This. Fucking. Blows. He held his hands awkwardly above her, before bringing one down to pat her on the back a few times. It didn't do anything. He was about to push her back over anyway, because he really could not deal with this, when he heard her start whispering. He leant his head down to get a better listen.

"Noah. Noah. I trust you. Please help me." His heart softened a little at her words.

"Help you what?" he whispered to her.

"Please, Noah, help me. I can't do this alone."

"Can't do what alone?" His tone betrayed the worry he felt having her beg for his help.

"They're going to hurt me, Noah. Please help me. We've got to go now."

"Who's going to hurt you?" Whatever was going on with her, he was going to be the one that fixed it. He decided that in an instant.

"Buttercups. That's the password isn't it? Oh, please hurry, they're coming Noah. Buttercups." This made no sense to him. Clearly she was just dreaming. A sigh of relief swept through him. Apparently this was the night for nightmares. He brought his arms down to rub her back.

"No one's going to hurt you. I'll help you." She mumbled a little then snuggled into his chest. He took a deep breath and settled in, and prayed for dreamless sleep.

"I love you Noah." Came a tiny whisper. For the second time that night his eyes popped open.

"Say that again." He said, not caring how loud his voice was.

"I love you, always and forever. Thank you, my hero." She whispered. Puck nearly died.

'She thinks I'm a hero? She loves… no. I heard wrong. She said… she said bug. She bugs me – isn't that the truth. Yeah, that's definitely what she said.' She sighed in her sleep, and somehow seemed to wiggle closer to him, which he hadn't thought was possible.

He waited and waited, thinking she was going to say more, but ended up just listening to her breathing, how it was so even and sweet. He watched how her chest moved, in and out, in and out, pushing against him and pulling away. He watched a strand of hair slowly and gently move down her naked back, as her breathing flowed in and out. He leaned his head down and nuzzled his face in her hair, smelling vanilla and something else he couldn't name. But it smelled wonderful. He placed a kiss on the top of her head and laid back into his pillow.

He eventually got to sleep, curled up with the tiny soprano, but there were no more dreams to be had.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Not a character within here belongs to me.**

The light hurt her eyes. That was the first conscious thought Rachel had. And it surprised her that there was any light at all, seeing as how she always shut her curtains at night so as to be able to greet the morning upon her awakening. Rachel squeezed her eyes shut tighter and tried to ignore that, obviously, she had forgotten upon arriving home last night.

Without opening her eyes, Rachel took stock in her surroundings, as she did every morning. With nothing to distract her, she was most able to decipher any oncoming problems with her body. She noticed none, except that she was incredibly overheated and that her fan was not oscillating, or even turned on. How had she slept without it? She needed the gentle white noise to lull her to sleep every night. This was a strange thought.

Dismissing it from her mind, Rachel stretched herself to her full height, pushing her arms up above her head. And she hit something. Rachel's eyes opened immediately, and she began looking at an unfamiliar ceiling. She rolled herself over, intending to roll out of the bed, but instead she rolled into the thing she had hit.

"What the fuck? Rachel?" Rachel scooted backwards, managing to get off the bed before recognizing the soft thing she had rolled into.

"Noah? What…" She looked around, noticing that she was not in her room at all, but despite the bed, in her wildest dreams she could not imagine that this was a bedroom. The floor was covered in a cacophony of clothes and dirty dishes, the only clear space around a guitar in the corner. "Where are we?" she asked, afraid to hear if he would confirm her suspicions.

"My room." He simply stated, not moving from the bed. She looked over at him, not sure how to handle the situation she found herself in. He had the covers tucked up to his chin, but there was a corner folded down where she had recently pushed herself out of the bed. That meant that…

"Did we… did I…" Rachel looked around again and caught a sight of herself in a full length mirror. She was nearly naked.

"Yes." He answered. "Come back to bed, Berry. It's cold without you." She had been sleeping next to him? While she was disrobed? But then…

"I need to go home." She started looking around for her clothes, finding her skirt, shoes, and bra on the floor next to the bed. Not wanting to wake him up if it was unnecessary, she tried to dig through the piles of clothes without actually touching anything.

"Your shirt's in my truck." Rachel looked up and saw Noah sitting up in his bed. He had a cocky smirk on, and she turned her eyes downward. "You want me to get it for you?" He asked. She nodded, hoping to everything she held dear that this was a dream, and that it would end soon. She looked back up to him, and saw him crawl out of bed in only a set of boxers.

"Oh, gosh, sorry." She yelped, covering her eyes with her hand. He laughed.

"Don't be so coy, Berry. It's not like you haven't seen it before." He came to stand in front of her, which she noticed because two feet stopped right in her line of vision on the floor. He hooked a finger under her chin, pulling her face up. She knew her cheeks were a deep shade of red, but she couldn't help it. She was so embarrassed for seeing him nearly undressed, and so scared at what it meant that she had awoken in a similar state. He did nothing to calm her fears.

"After last night, I kind of figured this morning would involve something more than just 'I need to leave.' Why don't you stay awhile? I'm sure we'll find something to entertain us." He was smiling at her, and she wasn't sure it was a friendly smile.

"Noah, all I remember from last night is being at that party, and then I asked you to take me home, and clearly you neglected that task, because I am not at home. I am here, at your house, in your room, with you. I woke up without my clothes on, as did you, and I really have no idea what happened, but I'm very frightened by everything I've found out. So I need you to please take me home NOW!" Rachel pulled back from him and crossed her arms over her torso, trying to hide as much of herself as possible. She was rarely forceful, but she could feel the tears starting to fill up her eyes, and she did not want him to see her in a vulnerable position. Puck looked a bit surprised, but quickly threw on some jeans, left the room, and came back up carrying her shirt.

"Here." He held it out to her. She looked up to him, and he extended his arm a bit farther towards her. She grabbed it out of his hand as quickly as she could.

"Could you… turn around? Please." Rachel asked him. He shook his head, but quickly turned his body so that he was facing away from her. Rachel pulled the shirt on as quickly as she could, then said, "Okay."

"So did you want me to actually take you home? Or just back to your car?"

"To my car. Please." Rachel was always polite, but she could hear her voice shaking every time she was nice to him. What had she gotten herself into?

"Fine. Let's go." He grabbed a shirt out of his dresser and walked out of his room. Rachel heard him stomp down the stairs and out the front door. She felt a few tears streak down her face, and she wiped them away with the back of her hand. All she had to do was get to her car, and then she could figure out what had happened.

He did not say a word to her the entire drive back to Santana's. Rachel was somewhat glad of this, because she wasn't sure how she would be able to hold it together if he spoke, but it made the ride very awkward, and made it seem much longer than she was sure it was in reality.

He pulled up next to her car, and she quickly undid her seatbelt and slid out. As soon as she had the door shut, Puck hit the gas and drove off, making her jump back towards the curb. She watched his truck speed down the street, ignore the stop sign and squeal tires as he took the turn too fast. Rachel started shaking again, and was barely able to make it into her car before the hysterics hit. What had happened last night? She tried to remember everything from the beginning, thinking that maybe if she could work through it, she might remember how her clothes came off.

She'd come to the party. Santana had given her the funny tasting orange juice. She drank two cups of it. She had danced on a table.

Rachel almost died when that memory surfaced. What in all creation had caused her to act like that? The answer came to her suddenly. Santana had spiked her drink. The orange juice tasted funny because there was alcohol in it. She had gotten Rachel drunk. The tears renewed themselves, and started falling with renewed vigor. What would her father's think if they found out that she had danced on a table? Or that she had allowed herself to become intoxicated? They would be so ashamed. But she couldn't concentrate on that now.

'Come on, Rachel think. What happened next?' She had danced on the table, and fallen off and Noah had caught her. He had taken her outside. Then he put her in his truck, and… her memory went black until this morning. She remembered sitting in his truck, and asking him to take her home. And then waking up this morning. Nothing in between that. Had her drink had more than alcohol in it? Was the alcohol not what caused the funny taste? Rachel knew that there was only one way to find out, and it wasn't something she particularly wanted to do. But she had to know for sure.

The hospital parking lot was not very crowded, and Rachel hoped that meant that she could get in and out quickly. Goodness knows she needed a shower and all she wanted to do was lie down and cry, but she knew this had to come first. She walked herself up to the front desk.

"What can we help you with today?" A blonde nurse asked her, smiling.

Rachel looked down at her shoes. "I think I need a… a rape kit."


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me.**

**A/N: I know that last chapter was a bit of a cliffhanger, but I wanted to make sure that this chapter was absolutely the best it could be, and showed all the emotions that Rachel is experiencing before I posted it.**

Rachel lay on the exam table; her legs spread and in the stirrups as the doctor examined her. The woman on her left had shown up an hour ago, and called herself a victim advocate. Rachel knew what both those words meant, but together, they made no real sense to her. But this woman had told her that it was perfectly okay to cry, and that she should feel free to do as much or as little of it as she wanted. Rachel just wanted it to be over. She had told her story to at least four people now, including the advocate. Rachel knew she had a name, and really, Rachel should know it, but all she could think about was what the doctor would say when she showed up to examine her. The advocate reached out and patted Rachel's hand, obviously trying to comfort her, and Rachel really wanted to smile up at her, and thank her for being so kind, but right now her entire body was anticipating the doctor's words.

"You can put your legs down now if you'd like. I'm done." The doctor said. Rachel took a deep breath, and held it to hear what she would say next. The doctor packaged the samples, and came around to the opposite side of the gurney as the advocate.

"I may have some comforting news for you, Miss Berry. Your hymen is intact. I took the tests anyway, just to ensure that all of our bases are covered, and we'll get the results of them, as well as the blood tests, back in a few days. But there was no penetration." Rachel let out her breath.

"That is… a relief." She said. And truly she had never been so happy in her entire life, including the birthday where her father's had gotten her backstage to meet the original cast of "Wicked". So many worries fell off her chest, and Rachel realized how much the thought that he had… she couldn't say the word, even in her thoughts, but just the thought that he had done that thing had been weighing on her a considerable amount.

"We're not out of the woods yet." The advocate said. "There are still a few things that could happen if you wanted them to. Again, all of this depends on you." Rachel nodded, and noticed the weight back on her chest. "It's possible that while no penetration occurred, there could have been other behavior that could warrant at least a restraining order, if not jail time for this young man."

"But he didn't… I mean, I just…" Rachel sighed. "I was so scared that he'd done this thing, and now you say he didn't do… what I thought he did, but he might have done something else and… I know how these things work. I mean not from experience but I've heard things and… I don't remember anything and it's just going to turn into a big, sticky mess in court and since there's nothing to prove anything it's just…" Rachel took a deep breath. She could not remember at time when she had been less eloquent, but when she looked up to the advocate, the woman looked sympathetic for her lack of words. Rachel pressed on. "What good will it do to go through with this if there's no evidence?" She could see the advocate struggling to find the reason she was wrong, but Rachel knew there wasn't one.

"Even with only a small amount of evidence, such as a blood test that comes back positive for a date rape drug, there is hope that this will come out in your favor. It won't be an easy road, but he needs to deal with the consequences of his actions. You might find some healing along the way, as well." Rachel felt a tear slide down her cheek. The advocate continued, "And maybe not. Everything we do from this point on is up to you."

"How long do I have to decide?" Rachel asked her.

"You have 30 days to file a police report if you so choose. If not that's okay too." The advocate squeezed her hand and pulled out a business card. "If you need to get a hold of me, here's a couple ways. My office hours are on the card, and I always keep my cell phone on." Rachel took the card. "Take some time and think about it. No rush." Rachel nodded, and hopped off the bed.

"Can I go home now?" Rachel looked from the doctor to the advocate. They both nodded. She got up and walked out, clutching the card tightly in her hand.

When Rachel got home, there was a message on the machine from her dad's saying how much fun they were having, wishing she was there, missing her… Rachel cried when they told her that they loved her. She wanted to call them and tell them what had happened, but she didn't want to ruin their vacation. So she decided to just let them have fun – there would be enough time to deal with it when they got back.

She climbed the stairs to her room, and nearly collapsed into her pink frilly sheets. Instead of fighting and trying to be strong, Rachel took the advocate's advice from earlier and just let all her feelings out. There was nobody here anyway to try and impress, and it felt good to just let go. She wasn't sure how long she cried, or what exactly it was that was driving her tears, but at some point the tears started to ebb, and eventually she was able to roll onto her back without the threat of tears dripping into her ears and hair. Slowly the after-crying hiccoughs got less and less frequent and after a time stopped altogether. For awhile, Rachel just lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling, not even thinking of anything, just letting herself be blank. The numbness felt strange to her, since she had always worn her over-the-top emotions on her sleeve, but it was a relief at the moment not to feel anything. Rachel heard the phone ring, but she knew she had neither the energy nor the composure to answer the phone yet. She heard both of her father's voices on the machine, and they sounded worried this time, asking her to pick up the phone if she was home. She didn't and they hung up. The phone rang again what she could only guess was a couple hours later, and once again, both of her father's were speaking, more urgently this time. Rachel decided to answer it. Even if all she could say was that she was okay, and that she'd been napping, they would relax. By the time she got herself up out of her bed, and to the phone they had hung up. Oh well.

She went to the living room, turned on the T.V., flipped through the channels once and turned it back off. She laid her head down on one of the throw pillows on the couch, and closed her eyes. At least this pillow wasn't wet. Rachel closed her eyes and fell asleep curled up on the couch, her thoughts about all the homework for Monday that she wasn't getting done, and how much she just did not care.

**A/N: If you have been raped or molested, please do NOT hesitate to contact and talk to your local authorities, and/or someone you trust. ****You are not alone****. If you need information for what to do after any type of sexual abuse, the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network is a great resource for everything from what to do after, to counselors, to other victim's stories to help you cope. (RAINN – dot – org) **


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: no ownership belongs to me.**

**A/N: Here's Puck's version of that fateful morning. **

**All reviews are welcome and appreciated.**

Puck was awoken suddenly by a punch to the face and a knee to his side. His first reaction probably wasn't his most well thought out.

"What the fuck?" He felt something move away from him, and instantly last night came back to him. "Rachel?" He asked stupidly. Who else would it have been?

"Noah, what…" He laid there waiting for the rest of her question. "Where are we?" Was she serious?

"My room." He almost added 'Duh.' but he didn't think it would win him any points with her.

"Did we… did I…?" He waited for a moment, before figuring she was just asking if they'd shared the bed all night.

"Yes." He wasn't a liar, but the spot next to him where she had been was suddenly getting cold air. "Come back to bed, Berry. It's cold without you." He opened his eyes to look at her, but she was looking around the room, and he figured she was planning to stage a massive clean up.

"I need to go home." That took him by surprise. He pushed the covers down his chest and sat up. He might as well wake up if she was awake. She found the clothes he'd tossed last night, and then started digging through his dirty laundry. He realized what she was still missing, and admired the view for a moment before saying anything.

"Your shirt's in my truck. You want me to get it for you?" She looked at him, her eyes wide as a doe's, and nodded. He threw the blanket off of himself and she squealed and covered her eyes.

"Oh, gosh, sorry." He laughed at her sudden modesty, and how incredibly cute it was to him.

"Don't be so coy, Berry. It's not like you haven't seen it before." He went and stood right in front of her, and pulled her face up to look at him. There was something in those big brown eyes that he didn't recognize, and he said the first thing he thought of to try to make it go away. "After last night, I kind of figured this morning would involve something more than just 'I need to leave.' Why don't you stay awhile? I'm sure we'll find something to entertain us." He was already planning a picnic in the park, a thought that would get him a patriotic wedgie if someone were to see them. It surprised him how little be cared. He smiled at her, trying to get her to smile back.

"Noah, all I remember from last night is being at that party, and then I asked you to take me home, and clearly you neglected that task, because I am not at home. I am here, at your house, in your room, with you. I woke up without my clothes on, as did you, and I really have no idea what happened, but I'm very frightened by everything I've found out. So I need you to please take me home NOW!" That was completely not what he had expected. She looked, to him, like she was about to chop his balls off, and that was not a look he wanted to get to know better. Stepping away from her, he slid on his jeans from the night before and ran down to his truck, grabbing her shirt as quickly as he could and running back upstairs. He had not managed to rein in his confusion any, and when he got back to the room she was trying desperately to cover herself.

"Here." He held the shirt up to her, but she just stared at him. He extended his arm a little further, and she snatched it away from him.

"Could you… turn around? Please." He shook his head, but did as she asked. What was she on about? Didn't remember last night… she didn't drink that much did she? And her acting so differently this morning than she had last night had him completely wrong-footed.

"Okay." He heard behind him. He spun back around, and she had her head bowed down. He tried his hardest to figure out the right move, but came up with nothing.

"So did you want me to actually take you home? Or just back to your car?" He realized his voice probably sounded incredibly harsh, but he really couldn't help how gruff he was in the mornings.

"To my car. Please." He nodded.

"Fine. Let's go." He didn't want to watch her be like this any longer, so he strode quickly out of his room, down the stairs and out the front door. He considered holding her door open, but let that idea go when he saw some kids from school outside. He needed her to hurry up before they noticed him. She came out a few moments later, her face red spotted and climbed up into the cab. He drove slowly, looking over at her every few seconds, waiting for her natural talkative streak to shine through. A few times he went to start a conversation, but always ended up just shutting his mouth back and refocusing on the road. Too soon, it seemed, they were at Santana's. Before he even had it in park, she had her seatbelt off and was opening the door. She slid out and slammed the door shut without even saying goodbye to him. That was his final straw. He hit the gas, screeching around the corner, and away from her. What the hell was going on with this chick? Last night she was trying to seduce him, and having dreams about him where she confessed her love, and this morning she was acting like a scared little girl. Did she think he was going to go bragging to all his friends that she'd given him blue balls?

And what was with her comment about not remembering? He could not figure that out. She'd seemed drunk, sure, but not drunk to a point where she would have blacked out for an extended period of time. And more importantly, have been in and out of sleep the way she was.

His chain of thought would have continued further, but he heard his phone ring, and he answered with his standard, "I didn't do it."

"Didn't you? I heard you had a nice, juicy, little Berry in your bed last night" came a manly voice on the other end. One of the jackasses from the party. Great.

"Sure didn't. Where did you hear that?"

"A birdie told me. How was she?"

"I wouldn't know. Dropped her off at her house last night."

"Did you at least get some action in the car? Come on, man, I need details." Whoever this guy was, he was starting to piss Puck off. Not that it would have been difficult with everything he'd experienced since waking up this morning.

"Leave Berry out of this. You wanna spread a rumor, go tell your friends how Santana is so desperate for attention she has to roofie people to get them to spend time with her. Personally, I'm curious where she got them."

"Harsh accusations."

"Truth." Was all Puck could say. He had come to that realization, and it didn't come as much of a surprise to him. Because he knew Santana was not above drugging people, men especially. Santana slept her way to popularity, and sometimes that required more than just her charms. What surprised him was how sure he was that he needed to stand up for Rachel. And that he desperately wanted to.

"Whatever man." And then the phone line went dead. Puck threw his phone back onto the seat and hit the gas harder. He needed to think, and he did his best thinking while speeding. Puck's phone rang again, and this time he recognized the number.

"What up, Finn?" There was a silence for a moment before Finn responded.

"What happened last night? I didn't manage to get to the party but… I heard some things. About Rachel. And you." Puck pulled his car into a parking lot. He knew this conversation was not going to be a fun one.

"She… Santana got her drunk. And she did some stupid shit, like dancing on a table. And then I took her home."

"That's it?"

"That's it. I took her to her house, and went back to mine. The party was pretty lame, and I had plans today anyway." Finn let out a sigh of relief, and Puck stared out the windshield, not quite sure why he was lying to his best friend. Finn wasn't the kind of guy to spread rumors.

"Oh. That's a relief. I thought that you might have… it's good, though, that you didn't. She deserves better than that." Puck heard what Finn didn't say loud and clear 'She deserves better than you.' Puck closed his eyes.

"Yeah. Right. I wouldn't have anyway. God knows she would talk through the entire thing. I'd have to get out a gag." Finn laughed on the other end, and Puck relaxed a little. "So why didn't you make an appearance last night?"

"Oh, you know. Quinn was suffering, and had her "all hours" morning sickness pretty badly, and I wanted to stay and make her feel better."

"How's she doing, by the way?" Puck hoped he came across simply as a concerned friend, and not as someone too interested in Quinn's well being. Finn was still in the dark, and Puck would do everything he could to keep it that way.

"Other than last night, she's fine. She's mad at how big she's gotten, and so she's always nagging, trying to force some of her anger off on me. But I don't let it get to me. When that little girl's born, everything will get better with us. So I just… four months left man. I'm counting down the days." Puck hadn't realized she was that far along already. He felt a stab somewhere in his heart, but he just let it go. He didn't need anyone, and wanting to be there for Quinn's pregnancy was letting himself need that little girl she was carrying.

"Cool." Puck said. He could hear Quinn yelling in the background, and Finn responded with the phone muffled.

"Hey man, I gotta go. But thanks for not… you know."

"Yeah, no problem. Later." Puck shut the phone before Finn could respond. He laid his head back against the head rest and closed his eyes. His life was too complicated already; no way could he even consider adding Berry into it.

If only he could forget what she'd whispered to him.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: Only in my wildest dreams could these characters be my own. Alas, it is not so. I own nothing.**

**A/N: Sorry that this took awhile to get out – my muse went out the window for a bit. **

Sometime after she fell asleep on the couch, Rachel heard the phone ring again. This time she jumped up and answered it, hoping that she could catch her dad's before they decided to come home. Sure enough, they were about to buy the tickets for a red eye, but she talked them out of it, saying she had had a sleep over with a friend and then she and the friend had gone shopping. Rachel had never done something before in her life that made her feel as disgusting as lying to her father's had, but she just couldn't bring herself to tell them the truth. Their fears assuaged, they told her they loved her, and were going dancing now, since they found out she was okay.

'Am I okay?' She asked herself after hanging up the phone. Her physical body felt fine, but her mind… she wasn't sure what was going on in her mind. At times she was impressed, thinking that perhaps Noah was a decent guy. But then she remembered that she'd been stripped almost naked. So obviously he was a heinous creature. But then he had removed her from the party when her decisions became unsafe _and _he had driven her instead of allowing her to drive herself while intoxicated. That was a good thing. But he had not respected her wishes to be brought back to her house. That was bad.

As much as she hated it, because Rachel couldn't stand not being in control of anything, let alone her own life, she came to the conclusion that only Noah knew what had happened for sure. She would ask him on Monday, and just accept the answer he gave her was the truth.

All she could do now was to wait. And sleep, since she hadn't gotten nearly eight hours between falling asleep on the couch and talking to her father's. So upstairs she went, crawled under her covers, and fell into a slumber.

She did not wake up Sunday until after noon, which was odd for her. She attributed it to incredible stress, and went on with her day, doing homework, taking a shower, and worrying herself sick over what she would find out Monday. At 3:07 her cell phone rang, and she jumped to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hey. It's Finn." Rachel smiled for the first time all day.

"Hi." She replied.

"I heard you got yourself into some trouble at Santana's party." The smile faded quickly. Oh no.

"You heard about that?" She asked.

"I don't think there's anyone who didn't."

"What did you hear exactly?" Maybe Puck wasn't the only one who could give her some answers.

"Oh, just that you decided table dancing was a fun pastime." She could hear him chuckling.

"Finn this isn't funny." Her cheeks had turned a brilliant crimson, and she sat down at her vanity so that she wouldn't pass out from shame. "I did not want to become inebriated. And I would never dance on a table of my own free will, specifically not at a high school house party."

"You're right. It isn't funny at all." He was still laughing. She went to say something else, but he cut her off, "I'm only laughing so that I don't get myself too worked up over it." A few chuckles, "I could kill Santana for pulling that stunt."

"Really?" she asked, surprised.

"Listen, I can't talk long, I'm kind of hiding from Quinn." Finn paused for a moment, and then continued, "But I just wanted to call and let you know that I'm on your side. And if anyone gives you a hard time about this, just let me know. I'll deal with them."

"That's really…" She couldn't find the words to express the immense amount of gratitude she felt for him so she simply said, "Thank you."

"Welcome." Rachel could almost see him, grinning and proud of himself for being such a stand up guy. "But hey, I can hear Quinn coming up the stairs. Talk to you on Monday?"

"Yes. That sounds good. Bye."

"Bye." And he hung up the phone. Rachel set her phone down on the vanity and sighed. At least she had found someone who would stick up for her if Puck was being his usual self on Monday.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: No ownership. None at all.**

Rachel expected the worst day of her life when she arrived at school Monday morning. And she wasn't far off. Everywhere she went that day, boys were staring at her, and yelling appalling things after her in the hallways. Rachel just hung her head, and marched on. She noticed, as the day went on, however, the catcalls and staring had dissipated some. Even if she didn't know why, Rachel was appreciative to whoever it was that made it so. She wasn't sure how much more of it she would have been able to stand.

But even with the lessening of harassment, the knot in Rachel's stomach grew larger as the time for Glee Club approached. She was scared to see Noah, and she absolutely did NOT want to be in the same room as Santana. She even considered skipping practice, but the thought that Mr. Shue might hand out parts for Regionals, and she wouldn't be able to get a solo made her dismiss that thought. They could ruin her day, but not her career.

As usual, Rachel was the first person to arrive at Glee. She sat front row, center, thinking that if she didn't look ashamed, then no one would question her. The room slowly filled up, and not one person said anything to her. 'Maybe this was a bad idea.' Rachel thought to herself. She had just gathered her things to leave when Mr. Shue showed up.

"Are you going somewhere?" He asked her. Rachel shook her head and retook her seat. Mr. Shue passed out a song, and smiled quickly at her as he handed Rachel her paper. She looked down, and wasn't really sure what to think.

"Mr. Shue? What is this?" Mercedes asked.

"A duet." He responded. "Finn, take the first verse, and Rachel, you can jump in anytime. Everyone else… just… listen." Rachel saw Finn walk by her, and stand up by the piano. She heard the tinkling of the keys start, and Rachel saw that Finn had put his sheet music down. He was staring right as her as he began.

"_In the light of the sun, is there anyone? Oh it has begun.__  
__Oh dear you look so lost, eyes are red and tears are shed, __  
__This world you must've crossed. You said..."_

Rachel joined in, and harmonized with him perfectly.

_"__You don't know me; you don't even care, oh yeah.__  
__She said: You don't know me, and you don't wear my chains... oh yeah."_

Finn picked back up alone on the second verse.

_"__Essential yet appealed, carry all your thoughts across an open field, __  
__When flowers gaze at you, they're not the only ones who cry when they see you__  
__You said..."_

Finn smiled at her as she stood up to sing her part. Rachel looked right at Santana as she began the second chorus alone.

_"__You don't know me, you don't even care, oh yeah, __  
__I said: you don't know me, and you don't wear my chains... oh yeah"_

Rachel nodded to Finn, and he went and sat in her chair. Putting her whole heart into the words, she belted,

_"I think I'll go to Boston, I think I'll start a new life,__  
__I think I'll start it over, where no one knows my name,__  
__I'll get out to California, I'm tired of the weather,__  
__I think I'll get a lover and fly them out to Spain...__  
__I think I'll go to Boston, I think that I'm just tired__  
__I think I need a new town, to leave this all behind...__  
__I think I need a sunrise, I'm tired of the sunset,__  
__I hear it's nice in the summer, some snow would be nice... oh yeah,_

_Boston... where no one knows my name... yeah__  
__Where no one knows my name...__  
__Where no one knows my name...__  
__Yeah Boston...__ w__here no one knows my name."_

Rachel heard the clapping before she was able to open her eyes completely. When she did, she saw that everyone, excluding Santana and Brittney, was applauding for her. Kurt was standing up, and Finn had an ear to ear grin. She smiled shyly, and Mr. Shue came down the risers to put his hand on her shoulder. He gave it a gentle squeeze before turning back to the class.

"Well I don't think the original artists could have done it better." Rachel blushed and retook her seat, getting a pat on the shoulder from Kurt, and a nod from Mercedes. Too soon, practice came to an end, and Rachel felt the knot in her stomach grow larger than even she thought was possible. She stuck her courage to the sticking place, as much as she could, and decided that the sooner she got this over with, the better.

"Noah?" She called out before he could reach the door.

"Yeah?" God, this was going to be so horrible. But she knew that it had to be done.

"Could we… talk? Maybe?" He nodded, and motioned to the empty choir room. Well, this was as good as anything, and Rachel began just like she had rehearsed in her mirror.

"I was wondering, if you had anything you wanted to admit, before the court proceedings begin." His eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"Court? What?" Rachel looked down at her shoes, afraid to look him in the eyes.

"I went to the hospital after you dropped me off, and I just… usually if you admit to it, the consequences aren't as harsh. At least that's what I've heard."

"Consequences?" Rachel knew that he was staring her down, and she forced herself to look up at him before continuing.

"Sexual molestation." Puck took two steps backwards, and sat down on the piano bench. He looked all around the room, almost as if he was trying to find something. Rachel wondered what it was he was looking for, and why he didn't respond.

"You think I… did that to you?" Rachel took a step towards him.

"What else should I think? I don't remember what happened, but I woke up without clothes on in your bed. I hate to say this, Noah, but your reputation precedes you on these matters, and…"

"Don't." He said, and his voice was dangerous. "What you think happened… is the most stupid thing I have ever heard come out of your mouth. And that is saying a lot." Rachel was stunned, but he continued, "That night, I brought you back to my house so that… so that if you got sick, you wouldn't be alone. That's it. I kissed you, yeah; I'm not going to lie to you, Rachel. But you fell asleep. YOU FELL ASLEEP. And I laid down next to you because it was my fucking bed. But that's it."

"How do I know you're not lying to me? That this isn't a ruse to get yourself out of trouble?" He laughed.

"You talk in your sleep." Rachel was taken aback, only because she had never told a soul that particular secret. He continued, "And you snore. Softly, sweetly, but a snore all the same." This was not at all what she had expected, and her carefully practiced speech went right out the window.

"But… you… why were my clothes on the floor by the bed, then, if all we did is kiss?"

"I dunno, you got too hot during the night? I don't pretend to understand why you do things. Like just assume that I did this, instead of asking me."

"I'm asking you now." She said. "Tell me the truth of what happened, and if it makes sense, then… then we'll see."

"The truth? You fell off the table, I caught you, took you outside."

"I remember that part." She said quietly.

"Then where does your memory stop, Princess? Just so that I have an idea of where to begin." His voice was full of poison, and it scared her.

"After you put me in your truck. You asked me if my dad's were home, and I said no. Then… everything goes black until the next morning."

"Well then, let's think about this. You know that I told the truth about not wanting you to be alone, because you would have been if I had dropped you off at your house. Right?" She nodded. "And you know, even though you didn't say anything about it, that I know you talk in your sleep. So you must have been asleep while you were there. Asleep enough to dream anyway. So that part's the truth. What else? Oh, your clothes. Well, you already had your shirt off. I took your shoes off before I put you in my bed." He paused. Rachel noticed just then that she was crying, and she turned her face away from him. What he was saying… it all made perfect sense. Hadn't she wondered that morning why her fan wasn't on? The fan she needed to keep her cool during the night? She didn't notice him get up, but then he was there, in front of her. Her breath stuttered when she turned back to him, and she saw that his eyes were about to brim over. He was upset? Why would he be? Rachel reached up to wipe his tears, but he grabbed her wrist and stopped her.

"I've been called a lot of things, Berry, and most of them I deserve. But what you just called me – a rapist – I don't deserve that. Not after saving you from yourself that night." And he left, slamming the door on his way out. Rachel put her head in her hands and wept, hoping that he could forgive her for being such a fool.

**A/N: Song is Augustana's "Boston". I took some liberties with the lyrics**, **but that's not unheard of in the Glee-verse. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own. I just write.**

Puck hated Monday mornings. Not that he liked mornings as a general rule, but Mondays always found a way to see him more pissed than usual. And this particular Monday, Puck woke up ready to fight. He knew that it would be a bloodbath for Rachel today, and he was going to do everything he could to make it easier for her. Sure enough, he hadn't even made it inside before he heard someone mention her.

"I heard that she just bent over in front of him at the party and let him have at it. Like, what a sl…"

"Wasn't that you, little girl. Bending over and all with Timmons. He'll be pissed to hear you forgot already." Puck said. The girl's friend's jaws hit the ground, and Puck smiled. Even if it wasn't true, it was enough to distract her friends for a moment.

Gym class was worse, because every guy in there had been at the party. All Puck could do here was slap guys upside the head when the coaches attention was elsewhere, and hit them with the basketball when it wasn't. He knew after class he would get it in the locker room, but he could not hear them talk about her that way. Sure enough, when the coach told them to head in, Puck felt a bunch of elbows and fists as he went back in to change. But no one outright challenged him to a fight, and he decided that stray elbows weren't all that bad. He could take it.

Puck even went to Math class, just to make sure he didn't miss any jackass who wanted to spread rumors. But no one bothered him, and by fifth period, he didn't hear anyone yelling nasty words. So maybe his effort had been worth it, if they stopped. He met up with Finn before Glee, and Finn was grinning that goofy grin he had.

"I found Rachel the perfect song. And Mr. Shue agreed. God, she's gonna love this!" Finn held up the sheet music, and Puck nodded. It was exactly what Rachel needed to say, and Puck knew she would blow it out of the water. He went in and took a seat in the back row. He wanted to be able to see Santana's face when Rachel belted this out and there was no way he wanted to sit close to the bitch. He might punch her, which shocked him as a man. He shook his head and decided that he had been in fight mode too long, always looking for the next dumbass to punch. He needed to be there for Rachel, and that meant listening. So when Finn went up and started singing, and Rachel joined in, Puck leaned up on the edge of his seat. Sure enough, Santana couldn't make eye contact with her, and Rachel looked so accomplished at the end of the song. Puck jumped out of his seat and started clapping before anyone else, so happy that she hadn't let this ruin her.

Then he sat back down when Kurt and Mercedes turned to him, both of them standing and clapping as well. He had forgotten the real gossip-lovers were seated in this room.

Puck tuned out Mr. Shue, but that was nothing new. Usually he just daydreamed, but today he couldn't help but notice the way the fluorescent lighting shined on Rachel's hair, and how cute her little dress was today. Even seated behind her, he knew that she would be smiling and proud of herself for getting that out. Man, he needed to get this girl out of his head.

The bell rang, and he rushed down the stairs, hoping to seem aloof to Kurt and Mercedes, so that the gossip mill wouldn't get restarted. That was the very last thing he needed right now. But he heard a tiny voice as he reached the door, and he couldn't help but turn around.

"Noah?" She had her hands grasped in front of her, almost trying to make herself look tinier.

"Yeah?" was all he could think of for a response.

"Could we… talk? Maybe?" Puck nodded and moved his arm around to point out the empty choir room. He was sure she wanted privacy for this conversation. Sure enough, she nodded and continued, "I was wondering, if you had anything you wanted to admit, before the court proceedings begin."

"Court? What?" Once again, this little girl had completely surprised him. What was she talking about?

"I went to the hospital after you dropped me off, and I just… usually if you admit to it, the consequences aren't as harsh. At least that's what I've heard."

"Consequences?" Maybe she'd found out about him egging her house. Or she was going to press charges for him always throwing slushies on her. That was stupid, because he really hadn't done it in like, three weeks. It hit him that she might have found out about the cupcakes he'd made for the bake sale. He was going to be in so much trouble if she had…

"Sexual molestation." Puck felt the words knock him backwards and he only just managed to sit down on the bench. What was she… she couldn't be… this was just a dream. Yeah. That's it, like the other one he'd had with her in it. Yeah. He looked around the room, trying to find the thing out of place so that he knew that this was a dream. Because this could not be really happening. Even if it was a dream, he had to respond to this crazy dream chick.

"You think I… did that to you?"

"What else should I think? I don't remember what happened, but I woke up without clothes on in your bed. I hate to say this, Noah, but your reputation precedes you on these matters, and…" His reputation? No. No way. Puck saw red, and only just managed to keep himself sitting on the bench, and not fly across the room and punch something.

"Don't." He said, and he heard a voice that didn't even sound like his. "What you think happened… is the most stupid thing I have ever heard come out of your mouth. And that is saying a lot." He hadn't meant to be that mean, but truly she was lucky he was being this nice right now. "That night, I brought you back to my house so that… so that if you got sick, you wouldn't be alone. That's it. I kissed you, yeah; I'm not going to lie to you, Rachel. But you fell asleep. YOU FELL ASLEEP. And I laid down next to you because it was my fucking bed. But that's it."

"How do I know you're not lying to me? That this isn't a ruse to get yourself out of trouble?" This could not be happening. He should have just taken her home, and gone back to the party. Because this? Puck could not handle this. He barked out a laugh, before answering her questions with the only answers he had.

"You talk in your sleep." He heard her gasp, and he continued, "And you snore. Softly, sweetly, but a snore all the same." How he could call anything she did right now sweet, he had no clue. Puck felt sick to his stomach, and the red behind his eyes had yet to go away. Why had he protected this girl all day?

"But… you… why were my clothes on the floor by the bed, then, if all we did is kiss?" He knew immediately that this he could not tell her the truth about. Because if he did, even though she had been the one to push the subject, and he had made sure she agreed to it, if he told her this part of the truth then his life would be over. He really would be stuck in Lima.

"I dunno, you got too hot during the night? I don't pretend to understand why you do things. Like just assume that I did this, instead of asking me."

"I'm asking you now." She said. "Tell me the truth of what happened, and if it makes sense, then… then we'll see."

"The truth? You fell off the table, I caught you, took you outside." Since she claimed to have forgotten the night, he figured he would remind her about him helping her out.

"I remember that part." She said quietly.

"Then where does your memory stop, Princess? Just so that I have an idea of where to begin." He could feel the anger building, and his fists clenching. This was not going to end well, he could tell. He just hoped that whatever it was he ended up hitting was not alive because it wouldn't be when he got done with it.

"After you put me in your truck. You asked me if my dad's were home, and I said no. Then… everything goes black until the next morning."

"Well then, let's think about this." His words were dripping with sarcasm, and it just made him angrier that he couldn't even rightly yell at her. "You know that I told the truth about not wanting you to be alone, because you would have been if I had dropped you off at your house. Right?" She nodded. "And you know, even though you didn't say anything about it, that I know you talk in your sleep. So you must have been asleep while you were there. Asleep enough to dream anyway. So that part's the truth. What else? Oh, your clothes. Well, you already had your shirt off. I took your shoes off before I put you in my bed." He decided then that he was enough in control of himself to get up and walk to her. Standing in front of her, he realized how tiny she really was, and how much power this little girl had to hurt him. When he saw the tear roll down her face, and saw that he had hurt her, even if all his intentions had been in the right place… he couldn't stand it. He felt his eyes well up with tears, and just then she looked up at him. Her face was so child-like and innocent. She reached up towards his face, and he grabbed her wrist. He couldn't handle her touching him just yet. He had too many emotions right now.

"I've been called a lot of things, Berry, and most of them I deserve. But what you just called me – a rapist – I don't deserve that. Not after saving you from yourself that night." And before that stupid tear could fall, he ran out of the room and slammed the door.

Because Glee practice ran until after school, and he had stayed even a little after for that… thing that just happened, the parking lot was nearly empty. He made it to his truck and even a little ways out of the parking lot before he felt that fucking tear… What had he let himself become if he was crying. Crying! God forbid somebody saw him, because he still was sure that anything he hit, he would destroy. And anyone who saw him was getting hit, no doubt about that.

He made it home, and ignored his mom when she asked him how his day was. He could feel more stupid tears, and if his mom saw him crying the whole thing would come out. Walking out his back door, Puck saw it. The tree. His tree. He had climbed this tree so often when he was younger that he knew the branches and handholds by heart. But he didn't want to climb and look up at the sky. He wanted to get the anger coursing through him out. So he balled up his fist and punched once. Then again. And again. The adrenaline he felt helped calm him down, but he kept punching, crying harder with every blow he landed. Finally he just collapsed on his knees, and cried himself out. He heard his mom come out and stand beside him, and he was grateful in that moment that she always had this knack of when to wait his rages out. So she just stood there until he had calmed down a little. He sat up and leaned back against the tree, noticing some missing bark above his head. His mom sat down opposite him with a white box in her hands.

"Are you okay?" She asked him. He shook his head no, because truthfully, he had never been more fucked up in his life. "You're not. Do you want to talk about it?" Again he shook his head no. Because this… this was not something you discuss with your mom. She opened up the box and looked up to him. "You don't. That's fine. Let me see your hands." Only then did Puck look down at his hands, and see the lack of skin on his knuckles and the blood where the skin should have been.

"I really messed them up this time." His mom poured hydrogen peroxide on them and he hissed when it started to bubble. He tried to flex his hands out of fists and almost screamed. "I think… I think my hand is broken."

"I'm sure at least one of them is. You nearly punched through the tree. Here, let me put this gauze pad on them and we'll go to the E.R." Puck started crying again, and he leaned forward into his mom's shoulder. She wrapped her arms around him, and rocked him back and forth, humming a song that he vaguely recognized. She kissed the top of his head.

"Mom." She pulled back and looked at him, listening. He could only imagine how stupid he looked, tears pouring out of him like a little girl, but he continued, "I don't tell you enough how much I appreciate... Thanks." She nodded, and smiled.

"Come on, let's get you to the hospital. And don't keep moving your hand on the trip. I don't want you to damage it further." He chuckled through his tears. She knew him well.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: If only, if only, but alas, I don't own these lovely characters.**

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who's reviewed. It makes me so happy to see everyone enjoying this story. Please, keep them coming! Also – Glee tonight! YAY!**

By the time they had reached the hospital, Puck had gotten himself under control, and was back to his usual self. At least on the outside. But that was what mattered, really. No one could see him feeling the way he did now. Or having any feelings for that matter.

And in the spirit of being back to his regular self, he flirted shamelessly and managed to get the hot nurse who brought him pain med's number (his mom was in the waiting room) before the doctor came in

"What's the word, Doc?"

"Oh, they're broken alright. You sure did a number on 'em, son." Puck almost lost it then.

"They? Both of my hands? Are broken?" The doctor shook his head.

"No, just a couple bones in your left. You're right is fine. Oh, it'll bruise nice and pretty, but nothing permanent" Puck let out his breath. Not that he was thankful for broken bones. But one cast gets sympathy from girls. Two gets laughter.

The doctor shoved the x-ray up, pointing out two places where, from what Puck could see, the white lines on the film weren't the solid lines they were supposed to be. He didn't really pay attention, because he knew the next step. They would have to set the bones. But he had to be a man, and hadn't he wanted some physical pain to help him deal with… that thing that happened today? So he clenched his teeth and tried his best not to scream like a girl (HotNurse was in the room, assisting the doctor) as the ER doctor put the bones back right. That done, they started casting his hand, and Puck tried to concentrate on anything but HotNurse rubbing her hands up and down his arm.

Without even meaning to, his thoughts drifted to Rachel, and how much he hated her right now. No. He didn't hate her. He… he felt a lot of things about her, and this clusterfuck that he was involved in, but hate was not one. She was so… he wished he had her vocabulary to be able to describe her. A few words popped in his mind, but they were all too strong and mostly just nasty names. He sighed inwardly. No, he didn't hate her. She got on his nerves, yeah, but she got on everybody's. He couldn't blame her for what she was.

And if he was being honest with himself, he didn't even blame her for what she had done.

Sure, she should have come to him, asked him what happened. And she shouldn't have assumed - that was for sure. But she was prone to overreactions, and he hadn't been the most open guy that morning. Not that he'd thought he'd needed to, but if he was going to blame her for assuming, then truly, he was as much at fault for the misunderstanding as she was. Plus he'd known something was up when she woke up and was acting so 'deer-in-the-headlights', and he was too absorbed in his fantasies to ask her what was wrong. Actually, he should have started asking questions when little miss prissy became the sexy goddess she'd been in his bed that night. God, he had messed up so bad.

"Um, hello?" came a female voice. Puck snapped out of himself and looked at HotNurse, sitting beside him.

"Huh?" he asked. Had she been talking to him? Whoops.

"I asked what color you wanted. I almost put pink on just to get your attention." She laughed to herself, but stopped when she saw the look on his face. "We, um… I think green and blue are probably the only "guy" colors we have."

"Green." Puck grunted. She held up two rolls, one bright neon, and one dark. "The dark one." She nodded, and Puck rested his head back against the hospital bed. After she finished, the doctor came back in to explain to him cast-procedures. Puck nodded, but he knew the drill. He hadn't played sports since he was little and never had a broken bone.

The ride home with his mom wasn't as bad as he'd thought it would be. She was quiet, and Puck wondered why, but not enough to ask her. He knew that starting any conversation with her now would just lead to why he decided to pick a fight with a tree. And he wasn't sure, even with the realization he'd had in the hospital, that it would be best to tell his mom yet. Or ever, for that matter. So the ride home was a comfortable silence, and when they got home, Puck went straight to his room, hoping she would leave him alone. She did.

The painkillers were starting to wear off, and he knew that even if he took more his hand would still bug him tonight, but his only thought was how to fix what had happened today, if there was any way to fix it.

He considered calling her, but after searching through his phone's contact list (which involved curling up his hand, making him gasp in what he tried to make a very manly way) he realized that he didn't have her number. So that plan went out the window.

He considered driving to her house, but then he'd have to explain to his mom where he was going (can't climb out the window with a broken hand) and that plan went the way of the first one.

So Puck laid back on his bed, and brainstormed ideas. By midnight, he still had nothing, but his hand hurt to a point that he couldn't stand it, and so he took four pain pills and closed his eyes. Luckily, the pain pills knocked him out enough that he didn't wake up, even though he was sleeping on his hand.

He noticed in the morning, though, when he woke up and it was throbbing. And instead of resigning to carry around an ice pack for it, he came up with the brilliant plan to just hold a slushie. Yeah. That would help.

He was almost out of the convenience store when he saw the little teddy bears sitting on the counter, holding little hearts. He almost vomited, but a thought struck him then, and a Cheshire-cat like smile crossed his face.

"And give me one of those… bears." The guy behind the counter gave him a look, but Puck had on a 'don't question me' face, and the cashier shrugged and rung it up. With the bear stuffed into his backpack as far as he could get it, Puck pulled up to the school and walked straight into the guidance counselor's office.

"I need the combination to Rachel Berry's locker." He told the woman behind the desk, hoping that she would just hand it to him so he could get this done sooner.

"We don't really give those out." She said, gesturing for him to sit down. So he would have to work for it. Fine.

"Look, Miss…" He snuck a peek at her name plate on the desk, "Miss Pillsbury, I uh…" Think Puck, "I need her combination so that, uh… so that I can give her my secret Glee gift. Yeah, we're having a gift exchange. In Glee. Totally legit kind of a thing." The little redhead's eyes lit up. He'd played the right card.

"Oh. Well, that's a bit of a different matter then. Well, um…" She dug through her file cabinet, "Here we are!" She wrote down the locker number and combination on a Post-It, and then handed it to him. He smiled in spite of himself.

"Thanks." He said, and marched out. That had almost been too easy. Walking as quickly as he could to her locker, Puck opened it, shoved the bear in, shut it and walked away. He knew he would be late for first period, but at least no one had seen him. The lengths he went to for that little soprano.

Puck waited all day to hear the squeal of joy come down the hall, but it never did. He almost didn't want to go to Glee, figuring that she would have ripped the stupid bear to shreds and would curse him out in front of the club for putting it in her locker. But when he arrived, and peeked around the corner, he saw her sitting in the front row with the bear in her lap. She had tears flowing down her face.

Puck almost smacked himself, but remembered his bum hand before it came up. 'Well, there's nothing to do now, but go in and watch her cry.' So he did, making sure to sit right behind her, in case she talked about it. He might be making himself a glutton for punishment, but if by any chance those were those mysterious "happy" tears girls were always talking about, he was going to hear why she was happy. Sure enough, not five minutes later, Finn strolled in and sat right beside her.

"Nice bear!" Puck saw Rachel turn to Finn and nod.

"I found him in my locker after first period. Did you see what it says on the heart?" Finn shook his head and Puck about died. It had writing on the heart?

"U R 2 cute. Isn't that sweet?" Puck silently thanked God that the clerk hadn't picked one that had a super sappy message on it.

"Who's it from?" Finn asked. Moment of truth.

"I don't know. There wasn't a note or anything. Just the bear." Rachel held the thing out in front of her. "I'm going to name him… Elliot. He seems like an Elliot." She pulled the bear back to her chest, and Puck heard the sniffles. He reached his hand out, but Finn got there first.

"What's wrong?" She shook her head.

"I… just, everything this week, after the party… it's been so horrible, and then whoever puts this in my locker, and I just…" She turned to Finn, "I remember now that there is good in this world. So I'm crying happy tears, because somebody cares about me. I don't know who, but somebody. And that means a lot right now." Mr. Shue walked in then, and Puck noticed that the room had filled up while had been eavesdropping. But practice started, and Puck tuned out. He noticed that Rachel never let go of the bear, and when she left, she didn't put the bear into her bag, but simply carried it with her out of the room.

Puck sat back against his headboard later that night, wondering where he would find stuffed animals other than the gas station. Because she obviously needed more.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.**

**A/N: Sorry it's a little late coming, shoddy internet access is no fun. Please please please review... it makes my droll life so much better when I see that someone reviewed the story!**

Every day for the rest of the week, Puck snuck something into her locker during first period. Wednesday it was a stuffed giraffe that she named Kevin and danced around with all during Glee practice, making Mr. Shue laugh.

Thursday, he baked her cookies, and managed to find a somewhat festive sandwich bag to put them in. And she, being Rachel, split them in half and shared them with everyone in Glee (Santana having left, given that no one there would talk to her, including Brittany). Puck took his half graciously, and swore to himself that he would leave the rest of the batch on her doorstep when he got home. These were meant for her, not for everyone.

Friday, it was a rose, which really surprised him, because he had figured that he would be able to ride the stuffed animal/food thing out for awhile. But he had seen the single rose at the grocery store Thursday night while he was picking up supplies for more baked goods and he couldn't not get it for her. It was so delicate, and it was pink, which were two things that reminded Puck of her. So when she came into Glee, holding the vase, everyone 'oohed' over it, and he was glad to see her genuinely smile when she put it up on the piano.

"That's not all this time guys." The room went silent to hear what else she had to say, "This time, there was a card." Rachel pulled it out of her pocket, and read it aloud. Puck prayed he wasn't blushing, because what he knew was on the card… well, it wasn't something that he had said out loud. Ever. His whole life.

"You are amazing. Not just your talent, or your beauty, but everything about you amazes me. Don't ever let the world change you. Love, your Secret Admirer." All of the girls in Glee made a collective "awww" sound, and Puck tried his best to act like everything was normal, and he wasn't interested. But secretly, it kind of made him glad that she was so happy. He heard her comment to Tina about the cookies on her doorstep, so Puck held his breath, and moved behind them to overhear, hoping he hadn't overstepped a boundary.

"No, it was nice. They just appeared. My dad's came in from the airport, and I thought that they had brought me the cookies as a gift, but they said that they found the plate on the front porch."

"Who were they from?" Tina asked.

"I don't know, that's the thing. But I think they were the same cookies from my locker, because they had those melting chocolate pieces like the other ones." Rachel smiled, and continued, "Whoever it is, I wish I could tell them that as yummy as the cookies are, if he wants me to still have my girlish figure, he'd better find some other food to give me. I won't hold up if I keep getting them. They're too good."

The whole drive home, Puck had an ear to ear grin.

When his mom got home that night, laden with grocery sacks, Puck ran out to help her unload the car, not even realizing what he was doing.

"Thank you sweetie." His mom said, falling into the recliner. He nodded, and turned to leave, but she said, "No, sit down. I want to talk to you about something." Here it was. Man, he'd really been hoping that she would just drop it. No such luck. He flopped into a chair and prepared himself.

"Who were the cookies for?" That surprised him.

"Uh… the glee club." It wasn't a total lie, since they'd gotten to eat a few of them.

"Having another bake sale?"

"Yeah." He studied his hands, noting the different signatures on his cast, and what all they said. And the empty space for the one he'd yet to get.

"Ah." She said. "Listen, Noah, I wanted to talk about what happened that day. Now, I know that we've always had an unspoken agreement for me not to pry, but…"

'Here it comes', Puck thought.

"In the future, if something happens and it upsets you that much, I just want you to know that I'm here if you want to talk about it. I know how you get – you are your father's son if only in that respect – but you might be surprised. I've been around the sun a few times. Maybe I can help. Or listen, if that's all you want me to do."

Puck sat in silence, not sure what to make of her words. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk about what had happened with Rachel that night, the very opposite in fact. He wanted to tell everyone who had ever said nasty things about him, or thought that he would never make it out of this town that he had been a knight in shining armor to someone, even if it was just for a few hours. He wanted to scream it at everyone who said that he only thinks with his dick, and at all the girls who refused to see that he had more to him than what was in his pants, because he had held back in a moment of passion to make sure that she would agree to it. Most of all, he wanted to whisper to Rachel all the thoughts he'd had that night, and how much it had meant to him when she said those things, even if she was asleep, and how much it had hurt when she had just assumed that he would be able to hurt anyone like that, let alone her. But he didn't say any of those things.

"I just had a really bad day that day. Sorry I worried you." His mom nodded, reached out and patted his knee, then got up to walk up the stairs. He followed behind not too long after, took two pain pills and laid down.

He knew, deep down, that like everything else in his life, what was happening now was his fault. A hundred choices along the way that he could have made differently, most of them from years ago. Like him losing his virginity to a girl when he was thirteen, after watching a porn at a friends house and getting curious. Or him acting out and starting his first fight after his dad left. Even the countless times that he was supposed to be responsible and keep watch over his little sister, and wasn't, until his mom had to hire a babysitter. Or sleeping with his best friend's girl, without a condom, and trusting her when she said that it was going to be fine. His life had been a long, drawn out tale of bad choices and anyone but him could have foreseen the ultimate result.

So because of this never ending parade of stupid on his part, everyone thought he was no good, a bad boy, and a punk. He'd always gone along with it, because it meant lots of girls swooning, and lots of guys staying out of his way. He'd even made sure of his reputation by acting out what people wanted him to be. But with joining Glee, and starting to be true to himself for the first time since middle school, he really felt like applying that to the rest of his life. Which meant he would lose his popularity. Which sucked.

Puck could feel himself fading into sleep and so he curled up and closed his eyes, deciding that he would place some fruit on her doorstep tomorrow morning, just so that she didn't eat too much sweets and lose that hot little body of hers.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I don't own. I just write.**

**A/N: WOW, this chapter took forever to write. Sorry for the lapse in updating, but I just could not make this work the way I needed it to, unless I did what I ultimately had to. There's a scene in this chapter that wasn't in the last one, but it helps explain the previous chapter anyway.**

**Reviews make me so so happy!**

Rachel ran to her locker after her first period Chemistry class let out. She tried not to get her hopes up too high, after all, it wasn't like she knew why she had been getting little trinket gifts in her locker for the last few days.

Since Tuesday, there had been a little gift in her locker after first period everyday. Twice now, it had been a stuffed animal (a bear and a giraffe) and Rachel rather hoped that it would be the cookies again. Whoever it was who was putting the surprises in her locker was an excellent chef, and the cookies that they made were addicting. Plus, whoever it was had put more on her doorstep, so hopefully, there would be more food, because even though it required another hour or so on the elliptical, she couldn't resist eating them, and she was almost out.

She opened her locker, hoping despite herself, and sitting on top of her books was a pink rose, in a small glass vase, accented with baby's breath. It certainly wasn't much, just small, dainty and beautiful, but Rachel couldn't help but feel amazed at how perfect this gift was. She pulled it out to look at it, and gasped as a card fell off the bottom. She picked it up and read it, almost crying at the sweet message written there.

"You are amazing. Not just your talent, or your beauty, but everything about you amazes me. Don't ever let the world change you. Love, your Secret Admirer." So it wasn't just anyone, but someone who had a crush on her. Rachel smiled to herself and put the card in her pocket, so that if by chance something went wrong today, she had something to cheer her up.

She stopped at her locker before Glee, and retrieved the rose so that she could show off her latest gift to the club, since she'd made a habit of bringing them with her. Sure enough, as she walked in, everyone looked up and made appreciative noises as she set the rose on top of the piano.

"That's not all this time guys." She let the anticipation build before continuing "This time, there was a card." And she pulled out the card (she must have read it herself twenty times already) and read it to them. Everyone in Glee was smiling, Rachel noticed, except for Puck, who seemed disinterested. Rachel almost let that ruin her good mood, knowing that she was possibly responsible for his bad mood as of late, but Tina was talking to her, and Rachel took a seat next to her.

"A rose? That's even better than the cookies!"

"Oh no, those cookies were to die for. And what's weird is more just showed up later that evening," Tina made a scared face, and Rachel laughed, "No, it was nice. They just appeared. My dad's came in from the airport, and I thought that they had brought me the cookies as a gift, but they said that they found the plate on the front porch."

"Who were they from?" Tina asked.

"I don't know, that's the thing. But I think they were the same cookies from my locker, because they had those melting chocolate pieces like the other ones." Rachel smiled, and continued, "Whoever it is, I wish I could tell them that as yummy as the cookies are, if he wants me to still have my girlish figure, he'd better find some other food to give me. I won't hold up if I keep getting them. They're too good."

Tina laughed, and waved as she got her things to leave. Rachel went to grab the rose off the piano, but a big hand got there first.

"Who's it from?" Finn asked her, examining the flower he held.

"I don't know."

"You seriously don't have a single clue?" He looked at her, and she could tell he would be laughing if he thought she wouldn't kill him for it.

"Sure, I have my suspicions." Rachel tried as best she could, "I mean it's probably a guy."

"That narrows it down." Finn said, putting the rose back on the piano.

"Let me finish?" Finn motioned for her to continue, "And if it's a guy, it's someone who's charming or witty enough to trick someone into giving him my locker combination. Also, there's a distinct possibility that it's someone I'm familiar with, because they mention my talent in the card I got this morning. And they knew that I would have none of those delicious cookies left after Glee practice, so they left more at my house." As Rachel worked through her thoughts out loud, she noticed Finn smiling more and more, and what had been an errant thought before now became a sneaking suspicion.

"Well, seems like you've got this all figured out." He said, almost smirking at her. Rachel blushed but pushed forward.

"It's you, isn't it? You've been leaving the gifts. It makes sense; you always seem to know subconsciously what would make me happy the most. Plus you're in Glee; you would know all sorts of things that you would need to. You're my secret admirer!" As she spoke, Finn's face drained of color.

"Um… no, it's not me." Rachel felt her stomach sink down to her toes, and she mentally kicked herself for jumping to crazy conclusions. "Not because I don't like you or anything, that's not it!" He walked towards Rachel and hugged her, and she felt the tears start falling. "It's just, with Quinn and the baby, and… She's my girlfriend. And I live with her. So even if I wanted to buy you these things and be romantic, I couldn't. I didn't mean to make you think that I was him, and I'm really really sorry I did! I just… I don't want to see you get your hopes up that your prince will come along in shiny armor, and it's really some loser in tin foil."

Rachel pulled away from him and grabbed the rose. "Whoever it is," she said, "it's someone who cares about me. And that's enough."

"What if it's just a prank? What if it's someone who is doing this just to hurt you?" Finn said, catching her arm as she started to walk out. She turned back to him, her resolve stronger than it had been in quite awhile.

"I believe it's real. So I'm going to continue believing that until I have a reason to believe otherwise." Finn was shaking his head, but she continued, "You don't have the full story of why I've been so not myself lately, and you're not going to. But trust me when I tell you that I need whatever this is, because after what happened last weekend, I'm a mess."

"Rachel, I'm not trying to say what you're going through isn't tough, but everyone makes a fool of themselves now and then. It will go away in two weeks when someone else does something weird. This isn't a life changing kind of thing. And if you're talking about the rumors with Puck, trust me when I say that I'm surprised they've lasted this long. Puck almost has a flavor of the day, there are so many him-and-a-girl rumors." Rachel felt her face go pale.

"What did you hear? About me and Puck?"

"A hundred different things, but I know they're not true. He told me the truth – that he took you away from the party and then to your house. So I don't bother listening to the rumor mill, and you shouldn't either." Rachel caught herself before she betrayed her relief that Puck hadn't told anyone about their last conversation.

"Oh. Okay, yeah." Rachel saw Quinn standing in the doorway, and Finn followed her stare.

"Yeah, I'd better go. Have a good weekend. And think about what I said – that maybe this person is just trying to get to you."

"Yeah. I will." She watched him walk out, have a conversation with Quinn, and then the blonde came into the choir room, her look murderous.

"You think that Finn would buy you these things?" Her tone was icy, and Rachel was still reeling from being denied by Finn.

"I thought… maybe… but obviously not. I'm sorry." Rachel had learned that with Quinn's hormones in the state they were, the appropriate action was just to duck and cover. Her wrath was even worse than normal.

"Maybe you should stop thinking. Because Finn wants nothing to do with a girl who dances and strips at parties." Rachel felt her eyes prickle, but Quinn continued, punctuating every word. "He doesn't like sl-"

"Salami sandwiches right, Q?" Quinn looked over Rachel's shoulder, and Rachel noticed her face pale as she took in whoever it was behind Rachel. There was a pause, and Quinn turned her face back to Rachel.

"Stay away from him. He needs to be focusing on his priorities now, not some little tramp that's flitting around the edges." With that, she turned and walked out of the room, leaving Rachel standing stunned, holding onto the vase for dear life.

"You alright, Berry?" Suddenly Rachel realized who it was that had defended her.

"Yes, I'm fine." She turned to face Puck, who was standing in the doorway with a look on his face she had never seen him have before. He almost looked curious. Rachel realized then that her cheeks were wet, and she wiped them away with the back of her hand.

"Tears generally mean not fine, at least that's what I've heard."

"Well, I will be okay, anyway. This whole week has been odd, with the random gifts and what happened between…" Rachel stopped herself as she saw pain flash across his face. She decided then that she was indeed responsible for his surly mood earlier. Well, now was as good a time as any other. "Noah, I'm sorry that I just assumed, and then accosted you. I should have come to you, and I apologize for hurting you that way." She figured that he would shrug it off, but still it was important that she said it. When he didn't move, Rachel went over and bent to grab her backpack. Maybe this mistake would never be able to be corrected, but she had done everything she could, and it was up to him to forgive her or not. When she turned around, he was gone, and Rachel felt another tear slide down her cheek.


End file.
